Kansas Wesleyan Baseball coach Bill Neale picked up his 400th career win on Sunday as the Coyotes won the rubber match of the series against the Friends University Falcons 9-4 at Dean Evans Stadium.
The win gives the Coyotes the all-important series win over the Falcons, as KWU heads into a big match-up on Tuesday with York at Dean Evans Stadium, and then a massive weekend series next weekend at Ottawa.
The victory was Neale's 376th at KWU as he is the all-time wins leader for the Coyotes.
Sunday's game was much different than Saturday's doubleheader as winds were howling in from the north, and temperatures were about 25 degrees cooler than Saturday when the win was blowing out to left and temperatures were in the mid-90s.
The Coyotes had to play catch-up after Friends scored twice in the top of the third inning. The Falcons had a chance to score more, but interference was called putting runners back on base before the 2-run single to get Friends on the board.
Wesleyan tied it in the bottom of the third. Fernando Ruvalcaba and Chris Finocchario singled and Blake Dale walked to load the bases and Logan Arndt followed with a 2-run double that bounced over the fence in right center.
Friends regained the lead in the fourth with two runs but the Coyotes had an answer in the bottom of the fifth. Garrett Garfield walked and Ruvalcaba crushed a 2-run homer out to right. After the second pitching change of the inning for Friends, Finocchario made it back-to-back jacks with a moon shot out to right center giving the Coyotes a 5-4 lead.
The Falcons threatened in the eighth putting two runners on, but reliever Riley Gwin would strike out Noah Gagol looking to end the inning and hold the lead for the Coyotes.
Needing some insurance in the bottom of the eighth, the Coyotes got plenty. Pinch hitter Joe Finder walked, Niko Olson singled and Carter Allen launched a 3-run homer to make it 8-4. After Garfield reached on a bunt single, Ruvalcaba doubled him home to make it 9-4.
Friends got a walk to start the ninth, but a fielder's choice got one out and the Coyotes turned a game-ending double play to close things out.
Garfield and Ruvalcaba had three hits each for the Coyotes, while four others had two each as the offense cranked out 16 hits in the game. Shaw Lee went seven and third innings for the Coyotes scattering 11 hits and holding Friends to four runs, three earned. Riley Gwin had two strikeouts in short relief in the eighth and Kayden Shivers pitched the ninth.